Taiwo Awoniyi Gary Neville Nottingham Forest
(Credit: Imago, Sky Sports)

‘Gary Neville to be sacked by Sky today’ – Nottingham Forest fans stunned by Awoniyi twist

Jonathan Burnett
Jonathan Burnett

Nottingham Forest fans have taken aim at Gary Neville after the club’s response to his comments about Evangelos Marinakis and Taiwo Awoniyi.

Marinakis’ post-match confrontation with Nuno Espirito Santo after Forest’s 2-2 draw with Leicester on Sunday has dominated the fallout of a match which could prove costly to their Champions League hopes.

The Forest owner drew criticism from all corners after he appeared to publicly criticise a manager who has vastly overachieved this season, most notably from Neville and Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports.

However, Forest have since explained that Marinakis’ anger came due to a mix-up from the medical team which resulted in Awoniyi continuing to play after he collided with the post in an effort to score late on.

Awoniyi was taken to hospital on 12 May for emergency abdominal surgery and has since been placed in an induced coma as care continues for a ruptured intestine, as the fallout over the incident continues.

Nottingham Forest respond to Gary Neville criticism

After Neville‘s call for Nuno to “negotiate his exit” with Marinakis after their apparent argument on the City Ground pitch at full-time, Forest have been quick to clarify the true reasons behind the incident.

The Premier League’s official account wished Awoniyi well after the news that the striker underwent emergency abdominal surgery, but Marinakis went on the offensive to defend his and the club’s actions.

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The Telegraph reported on 13 May that Forest’s lengthy statement released on the same day was in no small part due to Neville’s comments, and a desire to remind the public that Awoniyi’s health comes first.

A section of Forest’s statement read: “Baseless and ill-informed outrage for the purposes of social media traction serves no one – least of all the injured player.

“We believe the mental and physical well-being of our players and coaching staff must always take precedence – over media narratives, inflammatory judgments, and certainly over self-promotion.”

‘Negotiate your exit’ – Nottingham Forest fans call for Neville axe

Forest fans seemingly aren’t alone in their criticism of Neville’s comments, and his “ill-informed outrage” almost immediately shifted the narrative away from the Reds’ evident concerns over Awoniyi’s health.

The striker’s season is over after emergency surgery and being placed into a coma, and some Forest fans argued that after the discourse generated by Neville, he should be banned from the City Ground.

Other supporters went further and demanded Neville to “tender his resignation” with Sky Sports, and applauded both the club and Marinakis for lambasting the pundit’s “puppeting of hatred” on Sunday.

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